We came in here on a busy Saturday night looking for queso fundido. The ambiance is calm and festive but not tacky (maybe Mexican Chic). Despite being very packed, and possibly understaffed, the service was great! The salsas and the margaritas were pretty good. We ordered two appetizers; the queso fundido and the ceviche. The queso fundido was great, and was served with enough tortillas. The ceviche had an overpowering oregano flavor, it was a bit much, I did not care for it. As a main we ordered tacos. The bistec tacos were average. The vegan Al Pastor tacos were pretty terrible. Although the serving of the actual filling was light, they had a lot of adobe sauce, so they were over-seasoned and over-salted. Additionally, they had more onion than filling. They were some of the worst tacos I have ever had. read more

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Gosh, I love this place! They get everything right. The food is delicious, they make service look effortless, and the patio is spacious and you can bring a dog! I usually get Enchiladas Mole but tonight I tried the Enchiladas Suizas. What a good decision that was! Not only did the platter look appealing - the sauce and cheese on top had been beautifully browned under a broiler - but the Suizas sauce had a welcome vinegar tang to it. I've never had Suizas like it and it made for such a great change from the usual. My partner took some of the sauce for his Beefsteak Tacos and declared that he'd be ordering the Suizas next time we go. read more

El Mesón - Dogs are welcome on the patio. - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Love this place! The Chiile En Nogada is heavenly if you you are lucky enough to be in there when they have it. The horchata rum drink with flan made for a lovely dessert... Everything was so good, including the homemade corn tortillas. The portions are generous but not huge. I usually bring home left overs but not this time. We ate it all! read more

Was thinking to go to Penelope's for brunch see that they merged with Meson, wonderful find! The Sunday brunch was amazing customer service, attentiveness,cleanliness was amazing. Don't forget to validate parking when you walk in. And most importantly was such a large variety didn't get to taste all the amazing delicious food, but what I did have was fantastic. Caution don't get drunk off the tres leches cake. Only gripe 18% gratuity included in the bill, which it was disclosed when seated. read more

El Mesón - Penelope's and Meson merged. Sunday Brunch. - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Atmosphere is nice. Even though they got my order wrong, they both tasted good. Would comeback again

As a white person, my German grandma makes more flavorful Mexican food than this place. We were highly disappointed for what we paid and what we got. The enchiladas with ranchero sauce tasted like a can of tomato soup was poured over the enchiladas. The shredded and fajita chicken were totally flavorless. The atmosphere was cute, looked like the food should have tasted way better. The menu was mostly in Spanish, so we had higher expectations. We ate what most of what was presented to us, simply because we were starving and we had not eaten most of the day. The server only checked on us one time while we were eating. We will not be back to this place. I'm only giving one star because I can't give it a zero. One and done! read more

El Mesón - The flavorless rice and black beans. - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We recently held a wedding rehearsal dinner at El Meson & rented their party room for our group. There was plenty of room & the food was fantastic!! Our assigned servers were very attentive to all our guests & provided amazing service! The margaritas were exceptional & the entire party had a wonderful, memorable experience. read more

If you're going to charge $35 per person for brunch that's fine but put the price on the menu. The food was fine but not worth in the ballpark of what is being charged. It was quite a shock to get a $200 bill without any alcohol for four ppl for brunch. Had we the known the charge prior we would have gone elsewhere. Service was also very slow. read more

We went to the Sunday brunch and it was amazing. This was our first time going and can't wait to go back. From the service to the food, everything was great. I would recommend the brunch for anyone. If you have anyone visiting you have to take them. The owners were great and so polite. Our server was so sweet and helpful. They explain everything to you so you don't have any questions whatsoever. Their coffee drinks were spot on and the desserts were so delicious. We are going to go back and try their regular menu too. Everything looked so good and if it's anything like the brunch, then we have found our new go to restaurant for Mexican food. read more

Waiter didn't put my meal in and everyone was done eating by the time I got it. Husband got Barbacoa and it was all fat. The guacamole was the smallest portion and you had to pay for salsa. The margaritas also tasted like sour mix. When the check came, the waiter didn't know how to divy out the entrees so we asked to split evenly and he charged to one card by mistake- also provided us with no pen to sign the receipt. read more

First time visiting this restaurant. We walk in at 2pm on a Sunday. Staff is eating at the bar, tables have not been cleaned up from their brunch. A waitress grabs menues and walks off without saying a tjing to us, she reaches a table and waves us over. We place our order, food comes out and one of our orders in wrong, which they fixed immediately. We paid for 2 hr. parking ($15), not knowing the restaurant validates parking. Over all, the service we received was not welcoming, the enchilada sauce was flavorless and if I had to bet, I would bet that the corn tortillas were definitely not home made in the restaurant, even though they said they were, but that's just my opinion. We definitely do not plan to revisit the restaurant. Thankfully the prices were reasonable. read more

I wanted this place to be perfect. It wasn't quite perfect but it sure was good. Excellent drinks, a nice flight of gauc, and queso just shy of the best in Austin -- but larger than other places so maybe that counts for a lot! And they have freaking REAL tortilla chips, ie, chips made FORM TORTILLAS and not just he mashed corn meal silliness that so many other places pass off as "tortilla chips." In general, the portions are large, which is great. If you are looking for value for your dollar, this place is better than most. Friendly wait staff, and a nice atmosphere make this gem worth returning to. Is it the best of its genre? Nope. But is it worth the visit, the time and the expense? Yep. read more

El Mesón - Flight of gauc. - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Food was mid, service was slow, and we were charged full price for drinks we got during happy hour. You might have better luck with their non-vegetarian dishes as I can not speak for those read more

Fabulous brunch buffet! There are not a lot of places that still do buffets and they are not really my thing anyway, except for two places, Dimassi's and El Meson. The brunch buffet here is done exceptionally well, with aguas frescas, salads, breakfast items like potatoes, eggs, bacon, interior mexican items you don't normally seeat all the tex-mex restaurants around here, even paella. Don't even get me started on that dessert table. I could just buy the buffet and have the arroz con leche and I would be happy. The staff is super nice and attentive and hey, they have REAL guacamole (not watered down) on the buffet and you know how pricey avocadoes are! read more

if you are looking for a salt-less, pepper-less, season-less meal, this is the place for you. i recommend the house margarita with extra lime pulp and a warm beer. i asked for a tajin rim, and got a salt rim. the store bought tortillas tasted .... store bought. not a good sign when you go at 6:30 on a saturday and no one is there. cute decorations though read more

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Located on Lamar, this place is a bit further from Zilker Park than your run of the mill Mexican restaurants (I'm looking at you, Maudie's!) but the extra walk/drive is worth it. The chips are my favorite! It's thick and a bit sweet. It also comes with two types of salsa and pickled veggies. They also have an amazing tamarind cocktail! Their flautas de carne was delicious. The flautas de papa was excellent by itself or dipped in the chicken soup. P.S. They have outdoor seating that isn't too noisy, given that it's right off of Lamar. read more

El Mesón - Chips, salsa and pickled veggies - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is a terribly run restaurant. We were in a party of 8. The waiter walked off without grabbing one person's order, so they had to walk up to submit it. Then when it came time to check out, they refused to separate the bill because they were "busy". There were 3 tables seated in total. Then they said they could split it 2 ways, and then 4 ways, but refused to just separate it based on orders. The fact that they were willing to split it 4 ways shows you they were just being lazy. Look at how the owner responds to bad reviews too. is this who you want to spend your money with? read more

This was my first time here and I've been wanting to try it for years! The food is all central Mexican. It shares parking with the other restaurants/bars in the complex but we were able to find parking pretty easily on a Saturday evening. We tried: - queso- more like a fundido, it didn't have a ton of flavor. I wouldn't get this again. - taquitos carne - these were delicious, especially the cheese/sour cream sauce on top. However, it was a super small portion size for the same price as other larger plates. - bistek tacos - my friend loved these and said they tasted authentic - enchiladas - these were the crispy kind. They were very good but I think would have been tastier with some sauce on top or available to dip - stew - soo good! I'd get this next time. I'll definitely be back to try more! read more

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Penelope's cafe has amazing food with great service 10/10 recommend. The croissant concha was delicious!

I went to El Mesón for a work dinner, and I was blown away by how amazing the food was here. Literally everything I tried was amazing, perfect, and flavorful. A few of my favorites were the pork tamales, the potato flautas, the chicken mole, the green chicken pozole, and the barbacoa. The rice and beans were so good along with their flour tortillas. The chips (thick yet crispy) and salsas were perfect. I ordered a Paloma and was very impressed. I really loved their tres leches cake, which was perfectly moist and not at all soggy. We found the service to be so helpful and kind. I loved how welcoming and warm the ambiance was. I can't wait to go again and try their Sunday brunch. read more

Terrible food terrible service do not come here. Nachos somehow came out burnt and cold at the same time.

I don't know why this place doesn't have better ratings. We went this morning and everything is so yummy. Our server was quick and pleasant too. We had Yucatan style breakfast, chips and salsa and Barbacoa tacos. Their salsa is spicy and tasty, different but really good. Their tortillas are different, we are definitely not in Texas anymore. We came here highly recommended for their Mexican food, not Tex-Mex. And we are not disappointed! Would love to go back for their mole. read more

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El Mèson is hands down my favorite Mexican restaurant in Austin. Their ceviche is the best I have had anywhere, and when I lived for a year in Puerto Vallarta (where ceviche is widely available and inexpensive), I used to fantasize about someday returning to El Mesòn. The owner/ chef is so wonderful and super sweet, the staff is attentive and awesome, the ambiance is lovely and the food is soooooooo gooooooood!!!! ¡Yo El Méson! read more

EXCELLENT BRUNCH. So many fresh choices. Mexican food sampler is the best I have ever seen. Along with the pancakes and desserts! Definitely coming back! read more

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If i could give this place no stars i honestly would. First let's start with the waitress we were given, she didn't know what she was serving us when asked and barely came around. ALL of the tacos were either bland and nasty or drenched in fruit and still nasty. The pork tacos were bland, the bistec was probably the only decent taco, the birria was bland and the chili con queso was like MoZerlla cheese (flavor wise too not just texture) to top it off when we got the bill we then found out the chips and salsa that's usually free at Mexican restaurants.... THEY CHARGE YOU $7.50. The waitress could've at least told us this when she brought it out. You are better off at a taco truck or Taco Bell then going to this place. I do NOT recommend it to anybody. It's definitely not worth the $200 spent or the time. I mean just look around when you get there and you'll already know you need to leave. read more

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Best Queso Fundido I've ever had. Amazing atmosphere. Great service. Tacos were so good. Find this hidden gem on South Lamar and try it. We'll be back!!! read more

I try to pick different eateries when I visit Austin and this place caught my eye. The bright decor is traditional Mexican appeal. Our server was very nice and suggested some menu items and I must say we were very satisfied. read more

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It's been awhile since I've written a review of any kind. I'm motivated by extreme love or hate of place to actually follow through. Welp. I LOVE this place. I mean, I could go on for days waxing poetic about my dining experience. El Sangrita Margarita was soooooo awesome. Solid kick from the alcohol and balanced sweet & bitter from the mulled berries. Enchiladas de Mole + black beans + rice = sumptuous. Guac & Salas = rich and deeply satisfying. Thank you, El Meson!!!!!!! read more

This was our first visit back in a year or more. Kudos to the management for stepping up their game. Great cocktails / Mexican martini was delicious I do love their pickled veggies with the unique salsas they offer & homemade tortilla chips! Guac is great Al Pastor mini tacos are tasty! cochinita pibil with achiote ! So delicious a slow cooked delight Service is good. Very attentive server Sarah read more

For some reason, I thought El Mesón was a super trendy restaurant with pricey fare. But this wasn't the case when my husband and I went last week armed with a generous gift certificate. We went early because we had both skipped lunch and we were hungry. So when we got there around 5p, there weren't many people at all. We opted to eat at the bar because that's what we like to do. We started with their guacamole and chips accompanied by really tasty salsa. The guac was prepared very well. I ordered the flautas de papa (potato Flautas) which were prepared exactly to my liking with corn tortillas. They paired well with the guac and the dirty martini. Derek had their shredded beef enchiladas with ranchero sauce. First, I must mention that he demolished the charro beans before I even had a chance to sample them. I've never seen him do that before. I suspect it was the bacon cooked with the beans that made them irresistible. The enchiladas were good and the ranchero sauce had a lightness and freshness that I have not experienced before. It makes me want to go home and duplicate it. We splurged on dessert, ordering tres leches cake. It was delicious though I've had better. Next time I'm giving their flan a try. Overall, we had a lovely time in this old stone building which they had decorated tastefully and sparingly. And each day, they put out a huge batch of fresh flowers which grace the corner of the bar. So I would say that El Mesón is classy in its own humble way. It doesn't need to scream "look at me! I'm so cool" but instead, lets the ambiance and food speak for itself. The servers were attentive, gentle and gracious. And though it's not cheap, the prices are super reasonable, especially for the quality of food. If you're looking for TexMex, go down the street to Maudie's or Matt's El Rancho. If you want something a little different off the beaten path, we have found it for you. It's a quiet space in the hubbub of South Lamar and ATX in general. Bonus: We have money left over on the gift certificate, so we will be back! read more

El Mesón - Flautas de papa. I added the guacamole from our appetizer. Yum! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place freaking rocks! I missed Sunday brunch and this place knows how to do it! Lordy can they make some amazing food! The pancakes are divine and wow all the food is made with such great care you can really tell they love what they do! The owner makes sure the food is not uncovered for too long and she is always adding food and making sure everything is perfect and gosh is it really worth it! She is wicked amazing! The cakes were so on point I wish I would have not eaten so much of the amazing brunch so I could have had more desserts! Can't wait to come back!!! read more

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Delicious! I ordered the house margarita and the Enchiladas suizas with chicken. Both very good! Not too big portions, just right. VERY friendly staff! They let us try both types of moles before deciding. So10/10 recommend read more

El Mesón - people sitting at tables in a restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

I have driven past this place for years and just never stopped. I finally did and I am glad I did; hate that I didn't do it sooner. Every. Single. Thing. Was. Amazing. Their chips are probably the best I've ever had. The queso fundido with their homemade flour tortillas was unbelievably delicious. (Note: House-made tortillas make such a big difference.)The cheese getting crispy on the hot skillet! YUMMMM!!! The carnitas looked amazing and tasted even better. I've been talking this place up since I've been and found that people who have eaten here love it and people who haven't were like me in that they've noticed it but never stopped. But they will now. read more

El Mesón - Queso fundido (without the house-made chorizo; just cheese) with house-made tortillas. SO GOOD! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Location was easy, parking was easy. We had good Mexican food. Salsa was delicious and spicy! No sugar stuff here. Much better salsa than Matt's el Rancho. Honestly I am surprised this place is not busier!! Just as tasty as Matt's and so much easier to get it. We felt important and usually at Matt's .. we feel like just a number. The margaritas were strong and delicious! My mom had one and got a buzz! She didn't even taste the tequila ;) They charge you for soda refills but with being a prime location.. I'm sure the rent is high. So that's seems ok. I will be coming here again! read more

I was super hesitant about the food based on the reviews. First thing to note: this is more interior style Mexican (which I LOVE) versus Tex Mex. It's important that you know the difference. If you expect texmex and get interior, you won't feel like your standards are met and visa versa. I'm a huge fan of interior Mexican food. This is much like cuisine found in and around Mexico City & Juarez. Ordered the guac & salsa trio - DELICIOUS. Paloma margarita - strong & delicious. Chicken Suiza enchiladas - great. Could have been hotter (temperature), but still amazing. Green Chile pork dish. AMAAAZING. This is my new go to when I need great interior Mexican. I have been burnt out on Tex mex for quite some time! (Been in Austin for 9 years). Enjoy. read more

El Mesón - Chicken Suiza enchiladas amazing! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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TERRIBLE PLACE. T E R R I B L E! If you are looking for Mexican food you might as well make quesadillas at home. I promise you'll have more flavor than this place. We ordered a meal for 4 and it was barely enough. They TOOK FOREVER to bring tortillas and it was only meat. No guacamole. No salsa. No rice. NOTHING. If you come to this place, come at your own risk. Good luck. read more

El Mesón - The worst - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

I've eaten here dozens of times and every time the food reminds me of my second love city (Austin is #1 obviously)! This particular time I went for my birthday. I have spent the past 15 years traveling, but found myself fond of Mexico City and have bonded there ever since. Seeking a good place with Chile en Nogada, which is by far my favorite birthday dish, and somewhere that would accommodate a group of 15+, I decided upon El Mesón. Not only were they organized, and the food was prepared perfectly, they also took the time to sing Las Mañanitas for me, by request of a friend. What an amazing establishment! read more

El Mesón - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Best in Austin for brunch hands down if you want an Authentic Mexican food this the place you need to be has a variety of different types of dishes. read more

Went here for a work holiday ornament exchange lunch and it is a very beautiful restaurant on the inside. There were only two servers working though and several large lunch groups...it took forever to get our food ordered, served and then closing out the tabs. I find that the food was somewhat creative and had some potential but fell flat with delivery and taste. I got the seasonal special of the Chiles en Nogada....it was a very large portion and it was presented beautifully, but the flavors were a little dull and not inspired as compared to how it was described on the menu. I didn't like that salsa and chips were $3 and the chips were stale and tasted a little burnt...the salsas were very good though. Overall, I think everyone in the group of 12 people were not too impressed and it took almost 2 hours to get us out the door and back to work so not sure if I would return but it wasn't completely horrible. read more

El Mesón - Chile en nogada! So luscious - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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One star only because I couldn't give zero stars. The food was okay, the margaritas were good but service was shit. Sorry for my language but when you take forever when the place is empty. read more